New NIL bill proposed in Florida after No. 1 prospect flips from FSU to Jackson State

Travis Hunter sent shockwaves through the college football world on Wednesday.

Hunter is the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 class who was committed to Florida State since March 2020, suddenly made an unprecedented flip, opting to commit to FCS Jackson State and play for head coach Deion Sanders.

While it may be a simple case of coincidence–a Florida state representative who admits he is both a fan of Florida State and Sanders– filed a new bill just hours after the news broke according to Sports Illustrated.

The proposed bill would amend the state’s name, image and likeness law making it easier for the Sunshine State’s schools to facilitate NIL deals for their athletes.

Chip LaMarca, the Florida state representative who filed the bill denied the timing had anything to do with Hunter’s sudden flip.

“I didn’t even realize it was national signing day,” LaMarca told SI in an interview on Wednesday night. “I saw the FSU stuff and thought, ‘Well this isn’t an FSU bill,’ but this is interesting!”

LaMarca says players, coaches and administrators have urged him and others to push for legislation to amend the NIL regulations that have always felt a bit murky since they hit the scene before the season. finally obliged.

As SI notes, the filing just so happened to come hours after the Seminoles suffered the stunning loss when Travis Hunter announced he would commit to “Coach Prime” in the FCS.

While he has no evidence to support the claim, LaMarca believes there is a major deal in the works where Travis Hunter will be financially compensated for choosing Deion Sanders and Jackson State.

“What’s ironic, I’m both a Florida State and a Deion fan,” LaMarca said. “What is the reason to go from a program that was in the top-5 for 12 years straight with three national titles to a small HBCU in Mississippi?

“I’m assuming there is something in the works,” he continues. “There had to be some reason, or maybe he’s just a highly sought-after recruit and Deion is good at his job.”

Did Travis Hunter already make history?

Travis Hunter had been committed to the Florida State Seminoles since March 2020 and had rebuffed major pushes from other programs, including home-state Georgia. 

Hunter tweeted “Time to Make History #GodBlessing” on Wednesday morning.

While, LaMarca won’t admit it, the bill feels like a direct result from the flip, especially considering the lawmaker admits he’s a Florida State fan.

Hunter is the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Travis Hunter may have followed through with his promise and made history in a major way already, whether it is acknowledged by the politicians pushing for new NIL legislation or not.

Considering Wednesday was the first national signing day where new NIL rules allowed student athletes to get paid, there are likely moves being made behind-the-scenes .

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin chimed in on the situation.

“I hope for these kids, they get all the money that they’re being promised at all these schools when they get there,” Kiffin told reporters.

Texas A&M front man Jimbo Fisher says that these financial incentives have been part of the recruiting for game for years, but nobody talked about it.

“There were a lot of NIL deals going on before all this was going on,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said during a spot on Paul Finebaum’s show. “They just weren’t legal. Nobody told nobody.”

LaMarca’s new bill to amend his state’s NIL law must pass Florida’s two legislative chambers and be signed by the governor.

In a college landscape that was already reaching new levels of crazy with coaching changes and the transfer portal, Travis Hunter could have shined light on a new avenue moving forward. Even if Hunter never receives a dollar for flipping from Florida State to Jackson State, it sure feels like the No. 1 overall prospect’s sudden splash was a direct cause for legal action in this case.